Travel Bug

With winter vacation coming in just days, I'm reflecting on all the travel I've done recently and all I will be doing in the weeks ahead. First, I must mention my business trip to Hong Kong. We are working on a project with a physician at Hong Kong University, so I went with a colleague for a study. We left L.A. Wednesday morning and didn't arrive in HK till Thursday evening, between the 15 hours on a plane and crossing the International Date Line--my first time, by the way! But luckily we finished our work by Saturday evening so I had all day Sunday to walk around. I saw a temple, walked through all kinds of markets and busy streets, had plenty of delicious authentic Chinese food, and rode a ferry across to the mainland to peruse the Walk of Stars and shoot the skyline. In fact, the first week of the new year I'll be making a return trip to HK, but not before...

• Flying L.A. to St. Louis
• Driving with K to R-town (Christmas--I'm absolutely positively thrilled about spending the holiday with her and her family)
• Driving to Indy to catch a flight to Tampa
• My dad driving K and I from Tampa to my grandparents in Venice, Florida
• Back to Indy and then Robinson in time for New Year's Eve
• Enjoying the first day of 2006 with Kristin
• Heading back west in time for work on 1/3.

Say that in one breath....

But overall, I'm pleased the way the year is ending. I'm looking forward to the holidays and spending time with Kristin and both our families. I'm sure the wedding plans will be a big topic of discussion--more to come on that later. For now, though, I'll leave you with a hearty wish for happiness and health, whatever holidays you celebrate. Till next time!